


Ending and Beginning

by Setcheti



Series: The Lady in White [6]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Consequences, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3578295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setcheti/pseuds/Setcheti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several more years have passed, and a frustrated Lord Voldemort does something crazy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ending and Beginning

After the magical barrier between the Forbidden Forest and the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry fell and was resurrected by a power unknown to the majority of wizards, several more years went by without anything else of truly great import happening. The Wizarding world trundled on about its business – fighting the resurrected rogue wizard known as Lord Voldemort and his dwindling gang of magical terrorists, among other things – mostly as it had been for the past two decades. But with a few notable exceptions.

The more people Voldemort’s followers killed or who simply left for safer, saner climes, the more obvious it became that the Wizarding world really couldn’t afford to lose any more people. Birth rates had been steadily declining for generations, so the people being lost simply weren’t going to be replaced, population-wise. The Ministry tried to encourage more breeding, but since the decline was at least in part due to prejudices and infighting the Ministry had also encouraged, their efforts fell rather flat.

That was just the purebloods, though; Muggleborn witches and wizards were reproducing steadily. With each other, mostly, since one of the Ministry’s carefully cultivated prejudices was the rejection of all things Muggle. Some of the wizards, however, had discovered that non-magical people had some things going for them which the Wizarding world did not. And due to the growing population disparity a lot of the younger generation now rising up through the ranks were either Muggleborn or had gone through school with Muggleborns, so their outlook was decidedly more modern and pro-active than that of their elders. Add to that the fact that a good many of their elders had been killed or arrested or stepped down in disgrace for atrocities committed in the name of the ‘greater good’, and the young, ambitious wizards and witches were finding very little to stand in the way of the reforms they wanted to introduce.

One of those areas desperately in need of reform had been education, something the well-respected Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a passionate proponent of. Some of her ideas were her own; some came from Muggleborn former students. Quite a few of them came from her husband, the Head of Slytherin House, who happened to be a good friend of the Director of the International Slayers’ Council in London, a man also passionately devoted to the proper training and education of magically gifted children. Although a few of the reforms had rather been forced upon them: After Hogwarts had been cleansed of its dangerous _masonic enamorata_ infection – which was only after it had claimed the previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore – many heretofore accepted facets of life in the castle had simply ceased to exist. Rooms were no longer spontaneously created. Passageways did not automatically open or close. Moving staircases either stopped moving or became so erratic they required removal. Interior climate control now had to be managed by the castle staff, both mundanely and magically. And the Room of Requirement…well, the room was still there, now visible and accessible to all, but it had been fitted with a heavy door and locked tight to prevent unauthorized entry. Not due to lingering traces of ‘dark magic’ as most students and their parents thought, but because that room had once been the way Hogwarts ‘got to know’ her potential future mates-slash-victims and its otherwise plain stone walls now bore horrifically detailed reliefs of former victims and simpler flat carvings of those who had been chosen to follow them.

Nobody who had seen this room was really surprised that Harry Potter’s likeness was represented there; many, many people were shocked that Severus Snape’s was. None more than Severus himself, although his wife insisted that it only proved Hogwarts had learned to have better taste after choosing Albus. Who was of course there in full relief, frozen forever with an expression on his face compounded of horror and disbelief. Rumor had it that his portrait had also been sealed, because it would not stop screaming if it was not.

Only a very few people knew the truth behind that story either. Dumbledore’s portrait had been sealed, yes, but only because speaking to it so clearly revealed how far gone to reason and even sanity the man had actually been. Left animate, the portrait ranted and preached and tried to wheedle and coerce both living listeners and the painted occupants of other portraits to fall into line with plans which were disturbing if not outright insane. Or it gushed about Tom Riddle and what a fabulous Dark Lord he’d made, which was even worse.

Minerva had personally marched every single member of the Order past the painting, unsealed, just to make sure there wasn’t any doubt in any of their minds about what kind of lunatic they’d all been following. Some had left the room in shock, others had cried and raged – and Arthur and Alastair had gone down to the old Room of Requirement afterwards and done something very crudely Muggle to their former leader’s stone likeness. Molly had gone with them to guard the door, but she’d contented herself with just spitting. And then she’d insisted that they all have tea, and everyone had calmed back down and gone home afterwards.

The death of Albus Dumbledore wasn’t going to be the end of the chain of events he’d deliberately started off, though, and they all knew it. Voldemort was still out there, some of his Death Eaters were still free and serving him…and Harry Potter, the one person they were all mostly still convinced was the only one who could kill him, was beyond everyone’s reach.

They all would have been very surprised if they’d known that Harry knew all of those things as well. Severus suspected, of course, and therefore Minerva did too, but even they didn’t have any concrete evidence that the Savior of the Wizarding World was ever going to reappear and, well, save all of them from the monster Dumbledore had encouraged to come into being and then turned loose on their world. Even though the ‘monster’ wasn’t nearly as much of a threat anymore, having been demoted by the Fey’s interference from the scourge of the Wizarding world to not much more than a dangerous nuisance.

Voldemort was well aware of his diminished status, and it rankled. Every day, he thought of all the things he could be doing to take over the Wizarding world, or even the entire world, and every day he was frustrated by his inability to do much of anything at all. He couldn’t Mark any more followers – his last attempt had been on Malfoy’s son, and it hadn’t ended well. He couldn’t send his remaining Death Eaters out to strike terror into the hearts of the other wizards just to be doing it, because if he lost any of them he couldn’t replace them. When he’d tried sending the Death Eaters out to kill Muggles instead because they wouldn’t be able to fight back against magic, he’d found out that yes, actually they could. Muggles had guns and motion-based security systems and some horrific sprayable potion that burned an attacker’s skin and eyes and none of those things were hindered in the least by shield spells. So he couldn’t move forward with any of his plans because of all of the above, and it was driving him crazy.

Crazy, however, ended up actually getting him some action. Because in a moment of complete insanity, he’d scrawled out a letter to Potter demanding that he appear and face him and then he’d sent the letter off with an owl. Which had come back a few days later with a neatly penned reply. From Potter.

Who had set a date and time, suggested a neutral location, and said he would be there at the appointed time and place unless he received notice that ‘Lord Riddle’s party’ could not make it. No questions. No threats. No conditions or warnings. It was all very disappointingly businesslike.

Voldemort sent the owl back with a reply that he would most certainly be there, but only after he’d attempted to kill the owl and his spell had bounced back and stung him in an indelicate way. The owl had also shat on the floor of his audience room before it left, which had just been rude.

 

The appointed day arrived, and Voldemort gathered up the best that was left of his followers and headed out to kill Harry Potter. The spot chosen for their meeting was an open field on the border of the Forbidden Forest, actually on the grounds of Hogwarts, and Severus Snape had met them at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds and said he was there to escort them. Which he had completely without fuss, directly to the appointed place, and shrugged when Lucius had asked him where the ambush was. “I hardly think Lord Potter – or his guardians, for that matter – would act so dishonorably,” he said, and then rather offhandedly added, “He’s also Lord of the Forest, you know.”

Lucius’ eyebrows went all the way up. “That’s…that’s a legend!”

“So I thought as well,” Severus admitted. “But I assure you, it is very much true.” He turned his attention to Voldemort, who was glaring but had not deigned to speak to him. “You’re a bit early, but I’m sure they already know you’re here so Lord Potter should arrive shortly.” And then he inclined his head in a way that conveyed a bow but not a respectful one, turned and walked away from them, taking up a position some ten feet to the left and appearing to completely dismiss all of them as being unimportant to him now that his task was complete.

The effort not to smirk at the furious, baffled expression on Voldemort’s face was actually almost painful, but Severus managed it. Just to amuse himself, though, he gestured languidly and called up a viewing portal through which his wife was clearly visible. “We’re just waiting for Lord Potter to show up now,” he explained. “Lord Riddle’s party arrived early.”

Minerva huffed. “That was rude of them.”

“Quite,” Severus agreed. He could tell she was trying not to laugh. “I doubt this will take long, so I shouldn’t be late for tea. And you might warn Professor Sprout that I’m seeing some clouds on the horizon, possibly a storm moving in – I know she was planning on a nature walk later this afternoon.”

“I’ll tell her,” Minerva promised, and gave him a very affectionate smile. “Let me know if you’re going to be late.”

“Of course, dear,” he agreed, and then closed the portal with another gesture. He pretended to ignore the open mouths and shocked expressions ten feet to the right of him, although he was watching them. Their reaction to the arrival of Lord Potter’s party was bound to be even more amusing, and he didn’t want to miss any of it.

Voldemort, for his part, was seething. Severus was supposed to be in his service, not strutting around as though Voldemort was not his lord and master and using unknown wandless magics to be disrespectful right before his very face! He turned his glare on Lucius, who reacted as he was supposed to, with fear. This calmed Voldemort somewhat. Lucius might be a pretentious, vindictive ponce to everyone else, but he was gratifyingly afraid of his master and couldn’t help but show it. “Do not presume to interfere,” he warned the wide-eyed man. “And once I have finished Potter, you will kill Severus as an example – you may not use the Killing Curse, I wish his extended death to serve as a warning to others.” Lucius stiffened with a shudder, and Voldemort’s eyes narrowed. “You will do this for my pleasure,” he commanded. “Say it!”

Another shudder, and then Lucius nodded stiffly. “I will…kill Severus for your pleasure, my lord.”

“Good,” Voldemort approved. “I look forward to seeing how…creative you can be.” Movement caught his eye, and he scowled across the field. “Ah, the boy comes to meet his death. At last!”

The border of the Forest shimmered like snow falling off a branch in the sun, and several horses bearing finely-dressed riders trotted through the otherwise impenetrable barrier as easily as they might have ridden through a soft curtain of raindrops. Most of the riders reined in their mounts just at the Forest’s edge, but two continued on until they were not more than a few meters from the self-styled Dark Lord; there they stopped and swung down from their mounts with graceful ease, cloaks billowing in the brisk air. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting, Riddle,” the young man in foreground said, sounding amused. He had dark, wavy hair, brilliant green eyes, and an easy, confident stance. “You wanted to see me?”

The snakelike former scourge of the wizarding world scowled. “I am Lord Voldemort!”

“No, you’re Tom Riddle, or Lord Riddle, if you prefer; it certainly makes no difference to me,” the young man told him with pleasant diffidence. “Although you have always called me by my surname in the past.”

“Which it is kind of rude of you to point out,” the larger, older man at his shoulder observed.

“True,” the young man agreed. “Your pardon, then, _Lord_ Riddle. But I do feel that if you are to insist on formalities, then you must certainly accord me the same courtesy.”

“He certainly must,” the older man said, nodding. “It’s only right.”

Voldemort drew himself up to his full height, robes swirling around him. “Very well, _Lord Potter_ ,” he snarled. “If you would put on airs before your inevasible death by my hand, then I will indulge you.”

The young lord inclined his head, either ignoring the insult or simply feeling that it was not worthy of a direct response. “So you wish to bring an end to the blood feud between our houses?” he asked instead. “I suppose we can sort that out today, if you like; we are both already here, after all. What did you have in mind?” He glanced down at the snow and made a face. “Not Greek wrestling, I hope. It’s rather too cold for _that_ to be anything but embarrassing for us both.”

Dead silence. Lucius Malfoy snapped his mouth shut with an effort, wondering if the slippery little brat his master was so obsessed with had gone completely insane during his sojourn with the Fey. The boy not only appeared to be perfectly serious, he didn’t even look frightened! And the man with the eyepatch who appeared to be standing as Potter’s second was just obviously a Muggle, which made no sense at all. Severus hadn’t moved, so apparently he wasn’t expecting to do anything other than watch. Lucius spared a glance back in the direction of the Forest, but the individuals waiting there were giving no sign that they intended to interfere either.

And then the centaurs stepped through the barrier, two of them, and made perfunctory bows to those waiting before taking up a waiting, watching stance of their own. Lucius felt a shiver go down his spine. Perhaps Potter – or rather, _Lord_ Potter, and apparently Lord of the bloody Forest as well – was something more than he had always been led to assume. Which would not be a good thing for what was left of House Malfoy, as their allegiance with Lord Voldemort made them complicit in the blood feud which had been started with House Potter all those years ago. He shivered. This young lord facing them quite obviously knew exactly who he was and what his position stood for…and Lucius Malfoy came to the sudden conclusion that he was about to become involved in a battle he wanted nothing to do with.

Unfortunately, however, he had no choice in the matter. The most he could manage was to take a step away from Voldemort’s side, telling himself that he was giving his master room to maneuver and knowing that any other observer would assume the same. The one-eyed Muggle, however, cocked his head just slightly and frowned…and then abruptly nodded to Lucius before returning his attention to the matter at hand. Lucius grimaced and jerked his head at Goyle, letting the other man know that the Muggle was to be considered a threat. It would not do to be surprised this day.

Little did he know that Harry had been thinking the same thing. Voldemort’s message had reached him in Romania, where he and Xander and Arctus had been out gathering up the next-to-last of Voldemort’s Horcruxes – little pieces of the man’s soul which had been split off using a very dark magical rite and then secreted away in various locations to provide him with a sad and limping sort of immortality. They’d just gotten back from getting hold of the final Horcrux before riding out to the appointed meeting place, because that one had been tucked up within the Dark Lord’s pet snake and they hadn’t been able to go after it until Voldemort had left his crumbling lair to come meet them. Harry had gifted the snake to the acromantulas, removing the Horcrux from it while they were wrapping it up for later eating. Not killing the snake immediately had been important, since it was said to be Voldemort’s familiar and Harry well remembered the backlash he’d felt when Hedwig had been killed. Even setting the issue of giving away their plans aside…it just wasn’t right to put another person through that, even if that person was his sworn enemy.

Harry knew he had to kill Riddle this day – blood feuds could only be settled with blood, either spilling it or sharing it, and until that condition was appeased the blood-debt would be as a curse on the involved family lines. In spite of that, however, he did feel somewhat sorry for the man…and he wanted him to know the truth before he died, if only in the hopes that his fractured soul could rest easier in whatever afterlife it went to. “While you’re deciding what you’d like to do,” he said, “I do have another matter to settle with you. I need to return something which belongs to you, in fact.” He removed a green velvet pouch from his belt, stepped forward and held it out. “I don’t believe you knew that Albus Dumbledore took this and…well, and attempted to make use of it. I had nothing to do with that, I was just a baby at the time, but as it was technically in my possession I feel responsible for making sure it returns to its rightful owner.” He cocked his head. “You heard what happened to the old villain, I expect?”

Voldemort nodded slowly. “I heard. I found it…amusing in the extreme.”

Harry nodded back. “Honestly, so did I. It was a horrible thing…but he did bring it on himself. I’ve been told his portrait is stark raving mad as well, so much so they had to seal it.”

“Fitting.” Voldemort stepped forward himself and took the small bag from his enemy’s hand. As Potter had already accepted his challenge, treachery at this point on either of their parts would be instantly fatal. And the little bag was…calling to him. He opened it up, pulled out the polished glass ball it contained and held it up, watching the swirl of soul-energy dance within it with visible dismay. “What…where was it?!”

“In me.” Voldemort almost dropped the ball, and Harry grimaced. “They think he must have done it…after. He gave me the scar, not you – if you’ll recall, your curse never actually touched me – and he used it as a vessel for the Horcrux he’d come into possession of. When the Winter Court took me in, they found it and removed it. At the time I was rather mystified by the way they were taking such care with me, they treated me like an invalid for weeks. I thought it was due to my being on the point of mental and physical collapse, and having just lost my familiar; I had no idea some of the malaise I was feeling was because I was recovering from the magical equivalent of brain surgery on top of all the rest.”

Voldemort scowled and muttered an incantation, and the portion of his soul contained within the ball floated out and was reabsorbed, merging with the fragment which was currently sustaining him. His scowl deepened as that merging made him aware of what the new fragment contained. Horcruxes were not meant to be housed in living beings, because soul-fragments were permeable, so to speak, and would absorb the essence and experiences of a living host. He was prepared not to mind so much if he ever needed to reabsorb the fragment which was housed in Nagini, his familiar, he even expected that to be a relatively pleasurable experience, but this…damn Dumbledore, anyway. It almost felt like the old bastard had been trying to set the boy up to take Voldemort’s place as a Dark Lord if he’d been the one to survive their meeting. Which he wasn’t going to, but still. He dipped his head, which was as close as he was willing to get to a bow. “My thanks for returning it to me, Potter. I am still going to kill you, but…he manipulated the course of my life much the same way it seems he did yours.”

“I know. And ditto, of course.” Harry cocked his head. “Have you chosen?”

“As the one challenged, that is supposed to be your choice.”

“Yes, but you let me pick the location. I thought it was only fair for you to choose the means.”

Voldemort nodded. “I…respect your choice to die with honor. We’ll have a proper wizard’s duel.” He smiled, which made him look even more snakelike. “Oh dear, but you ran off without your special wand, didn’t you? The one which was brother to mine?”

“I have another, one which is…better suited to me,” Harry told him, pushing back one side of his cloak so that the holstered wand was visible. Unlike his old one, this wand was a slender length of smooth-polished dark oak with a ring of silver runes glimmering just above its neatly leather-wrapped handle - its core was formed from the two white feathers which had been his last gift from Hedwig. “A proper wizard’s duel is acceptable to me. Your second?”

“I do not require one.”

“Very well.” Harry removed his cloak and handed it to Xander, who moved far enough away to make it obvious he would not interfere. Lucius and Goyle had backed off as well at a harsh gesture from their master. Harry drew his wand, assumed a very proper formal dueling stance, and bowed. “Let us settle this, once and for all.”

Voldemort did not bow back, he just attacked. “ _Expelliarmus_!” Harry ducked, and he smirked. “Expected that, did you?”

“Of course.” Harry fired off three spells in quick succession. “I know you’re not concerned with _your_ honor.”

Voldemort blocked the three spells, but his eyes widened at the force of them. “What…?” Three more were coming at him before he could counter, and one of those got through and made him jump. “Now see here…!”

“I see you just fine.” Harry fired off another barrage, keeping him on the defensive. “Dumbledore may have been at fault for turning you toward the dark side, but it was your own choice to become a murderer.”

Voldemort recovered and started firing back cutting spells. “Revolutions are of necessity bloody.” He cackled when one spell nicked Harry’s arm. “First blood!”

The bludgeoning spell that came at him as he said it hit him in the spot where his nose should have been, rather like a fist might in a brawl, and he howled. “Fight, don’t gloat,” Harry advised, and another three rapid spells flew out. Again just one of them hit, but this time Voldemort screamed. Harry stopped and stared at him. “How is it you don’t have a nose but you managed to have _those_?” he wanted to know. “That doesn’t make any sense!”

“ _AVADA KEDAVRA_!”

Harry ducked again, and the Killing Curse sped past him. “Really?”

“Hold still so I can kill you! _AVADA_ …”

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

And Voldemort’s wand shot out of his hand and dropped into the snow at Harry’s feet. The young lord put his foot on it and stepped down, snapping it in half. And then he raised his own wand and pointed. “Unless you want to have a go wandless, I think we’re done here.”

“You can’t duel wandless,” Voldemort hissed. “Unless you mean brawling flesh to flesh like the lowest of Muggles, that is.”

“No, I actually did not mean hand-to-hand fighting,” Harry corrected him. “Because I’m trained and you’re not, so kicking your ass that way wouldn’t be anywhere near sporting of me.” He put his wand back into its holster and walked right up to the shocked Dark Lord. “ _Immobulus_ ,” he whispered, and his opponent froze in place. “I could torture you to death like this without even putting forth that much effort,” he said. “I’m much more powerful than you, not to mention faster, and really the only thing I think you’ve had in your favor all this time was your willingness to use the Unforgivables and all the dark magic you could get your hands on.” He held up another pouch, although this one was black with silver tracings on it, and extracted a glass ball which was so full of soul-energy that it was glowing like a small star; Voldemort’s eyes went wide with fear. Harry took a step back. “ _Finite incantatem_.”

The body-bind spell fell off and Voldemort stumbled backwards…but at the same time the glass ball disintegrated. The soul fragments hung in the air like a handful of tiny stars for a heartbeat…and then dove forward. Voldemort fell to his knees, screaming as his current body – created with dark magic, blood magic anchored to a single soul fragment – was ripped apart as the rest of that soul tore the anchors out of the way in its attempt to regain its wholeness. Empty robes dropped into the snow seconds later. It was over.

Almost, anyway. Harry almost immediately spun around, wand back in his hand. “ _Petrificus totalus_!” he yelled, and Lucius and Goyle both toppled over into the snow. He stalked over and looked down at them, Xander hurrying to his side, waving to Severus to join him. “Well?”

“He’s got a controlling spell on him,” Xander said. “I could see it, and his mannerisms when the idiot was giving him orders were telling.”

“I noted that as well.” Severus frowned, drawing his own wand and casting a small spell on the two incapacitated men. He shook his head when he saw the result – Lucius was glowing reddish, Goyle wasn’t glowing at all. “Dammit. All this time, he was actually telling the truth about why he took the Mark. It looks like a variant of Imperious, so the standard detection spells wouldn’t pick up on it. I’m sorry, Lucius, really.” He pulled a vial of deep red liquid out of his robe, knelt down and poured the contents into the other man’s mouth. “You’ll feel better in a moment – you may still want to kill me, but we can work that out later.” He stood back up. “And Goyle, Lord Potter?”

“If he’s not being controlled, I see no alternative to having him imprisoned,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Have a house elf deliver him to the aurors, if you would please. _Finite incantatem_.”

Severus cast _confundus_ on Goyle before the larger man could get up, then summoned a house elf from Hogwarts and instructed it on what he wanted it to do; it disappeared, taking the confused Death Eater with it. And then he offered a hand up to Lucius, steadying him once he was back on his feet. “Still want to kill me?”

“Yes, but I’ll reconsider if you have a headache potion with you.” Severus handed it over, and the other man took it with a sigh of relief. “Much better, thank you. You may live.”

“Thank you so much,” Severus drawled. “Now I remember why we couldn’t tell if you were lying or not. Lord Potter?”

Harry offered Lucius a brief bow. “Lord Malfoy, welcome back to the land of free-will. And please accept my condolences for the loss of your son. He and I may not have been friends…but I’d not have wished for his death.”

Lucius considered that…and then he bowed back, regally. “Thank you, Lord Potter. Please accept my congratulations for your victory today.”

Harry smiled. “Very gracious of you, sir, thank you. If you require my testimony before the Council in the future regarding what transpired here today, you’ve only to let me know.”

Lucius had to smile back. “I appreciate that, Lord Potter. Hopefully it will not be necessary, however.” He raised an eyebrow at Severus. “Will it?”

Severus shrugged. “I have no idea, honestly. They lost the right to pester me once my Mark was gone.” Lucius checked under his sleeve and sighed, and Severus patted his shoulder. “It may be removable now, or at least concealable. I’ll look into it for you after tea – you’re welcome to stay and have it with Minerva and I, if you like.”

“I…I should like that, yes,” Lucius agreed. “Just promise you won’t let her hurt me.”

“You’re assuming I could stop her.”

“Very true. Forget I asked, then.” He frowned when he noticed that Potter’s possibly-not-Muggle second had started looking around suspiciously. “What…”

Severus had noticed it too; he drew his wand. “Knight, what…”

The Knight shook his head. “Something’s coming. I felt the school’s wards react to a breach of some kind, like something small was trying to rip a hole in them to get through.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Dangerous?”

The Knight shrugged. “If it’s what I suspect, then no, not to us. Be on your guard, though.” There was a flash, and suddenly a witch was standing in the snowy field. The wizards all started, but the Knight merely rolled his eye. “Good grief, Giles must be going soft in his old age,” he said. “I figured he’d keep your powers bound for at least a couple more years. Ten is a nice, round number. But since you’re _here_ …how’s it going, Wills?”

The witch stared at him, her eyes flickering between black and green. “I’m here to take you home!”

The Knight’s eye rolled again. “Thanks, but I _am_ home – or at least near it, anyway, and not exactly on this very snowy spot beside the woods, just so we’re clear. My actual home is in the general area, though; it’s just warmer and a lot less wet.”

She stared again, and this time the red streaks in her black hair widened. “You…you don’t belong here! I came to rescue you!”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “From what?”

“Whoever took you away!”

The eyebrow stayed up. He frowned. “So you’re here to rescue me…from _myself_? That doesn’t make sense. Try again.”

“I’m here to rescue you from these fairy-people who kidnapped you, Xander!” The witch stamped her foot in the snow. “Oh, you…just wait, I’ll fix whatever they did to make you think you should leave…”

Power crackled, and Xander shook his head at Harry when the young lord made a move toward his wand. “I left because it was time for me to leave, Wills,” he said gently. “And the only people who helped my decision along were you and Buffy; even if I hadn’t had a destiny waiting somewhere else, I wouldn’t have stayed in London with you. I would have gone back to Africa.”

“You didn’t belong in Africa! You…you…”

“I was belonging there just fine until you and Buff kick-started my destiny by ordering me to pack up and leave for London. Not that I’m complaining,” he told her with a small smile that quickly fell off. “Willow, go back to London. If you can. Can you? Or did you overextend yourself getting here?” She was staring again, one eye half black and the other entirely green, and Xander sighed. “Of course. With your permission, Lord Potter, we need to send for Director Giles.”

Harry responded with a regal nod of acquiescence. “Professor Snape, you know Director Giles. Would you please go at once and inform him of the situation? You may bring him back here if he requests it.”

“I am quite certain he will request it, Lord Potter.” Severus bowed, hiding his amusement. “I shall return with him momentarily.”

He straightened and vanished. Harry returned his attention to the wide-eyed witch, whose hair was now entirely red. “I’m not entirely certain just how many laws you’ve broken, ‘porting in here like this,” he observed. “Not to mention the damage you may have done to the protective wards on the school’s grounds. You and your guardian should probably expect a visit from the Ministry over this incident, they’ll be wanting an explanation at the very least.”

Willow favored him with a stubborn pout. “I was just…”

“ _I’m_ not the Ministry,” Harry interrupted her. “Save it for them, it’s no problem of mine. Although you could possibly put your case before Lord Malfoy here, if he were willing to hear it under these conditions.”

Lucius shook his head. “I admit to being curious, but not enough so to inconvenience myself,” he said in a regally offhand way, flicking nonexistent lint off the sleeve of his winter robes. “Earth-witchery isn’t a subject I have much familiarity with – or much interest in, for that matter. The Ministry used to have a specially-trained team for dealing with such situations, possibly there are some of them still in service somewhere.” He snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared beside him. “Take a message to the Chief Auror that we’ll be needing someone experienced in Earth magic as practiced by Muggles to sort out the breach of the Hogwarts wards which just occurred.”

The creature bobbed a nervous bow of acquiescence and vanished again. “House elf,” Xander explained to the wide-eyed witch. “Not a demon species, so if you ever see one no attempted slayage is to occur, got it? They won’t hurt anyone unless you’re trying to hurt someone in the bloodline they’re bound to serve.”

“ _Slaves_?!” she hissed, frowning.

He shook his head. “A lot of people make that mistake, but no. They’re a naturally subservient species, like the Djinn; their powers don’t fully unlock unless they’re magically bound to someone.”

“The wizards, our ancestors,” Harry waved a hand to indicate himself and Lucius, “were approached by their ancestors – you’ve probably heard them referred to as brownies in your folklore – because their species was dying out. The arrangement they made saved them from extinction.”

She scowled at Xander. “ _Wizards_? I thought you were with the fairies in the woods!”

Xander and Harry actually winced. “The Fey aren’t…‘fairies’,” Harry pointed out. “And you’d be likely to start an incident if one of them heard you say it that way, so I’d advise you to get it right. The Knight and I are members of the Winter Court…”

“ _Knight_?” She laughed. “That name Angelus gave him? He was just making fun of him.”

“Hardly,” Harry replied in a dry voice. “I say, you and reality don’t see much of each other, do you?”

Luckily that was when Severus reappeared, Rupert Giles beside him. The former librarian and present head of the Watchers’ Council smoothed out his furious scowl and bowed to Harry. “Lord Potter.”

“Director Giles.” Harry inclined his head. “A pity we had to meet under these circumstances, I’ve heard a great deal about you from my Knight. But I believe this witch is in your employ?”

Giles didn’t quite roll his eyes. “Only as a researcher at present – she’s still on magical probation, unauthorized use of her powers was strictly forbidden to her. Hence the power-damper that kicked in once the terms of her probation were broken.”  

“But I had to …”

“You’ll have to answer to the coven, and then the Council, and then most likely the Ministry of Magic after that,” Giles cut her off. “And I’ll have to have words with your therapist; he swore he’d gotten you to face reality and that it would be safe to unbind your powers.” He cocked his head. “Although I suppose we should check him for magical interference first.”

“I can do that easily enough, or the Ministry agents who visit you can,” Severus informed him. “And there are potions which can be utilized to suppress magical ability and whose effects cannot be removed by spellwork alone.”

Giles looked unsure, and Lucius put in, “Those potions are most commonly utilized to suppress the magic of those who suffer from brain damage or are otherwise mentally unfit to manage or control their powers, Director Giles. And only a mediwitch is legally able to administer them.”     

“They’re perfectly safe,” Severus assured him. “I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”

Giles smiled at him, shaking his head. “You misunderstand my hesitation. I simply wasn’t sure that such a potion would work on a practitioner such as Willow. If she was able to influence her therapist with her powers supposedly bound, then we may need to call in an expert on Earth magic to study the situation before we decide on the best course of action.”

“I think you’re forgetting what Willow’s parents did for a living,” Xander put in, raising an eyebrow at Giles. “Even without magic she’s perfectly capable of manipulating a therapist.” He abruptly turned his attention back to Willow, who was looking pouty again. “I am going to say this one time,” he told her. “I am not your teddy bear, or your puppy, and I’m most certainly not your friend. You forfeited the right to call yourself my best friend back in high school, and you stopped being any kind of friend to me while you were in college. I will always have some fond memories of our friendship, but that’s all they are – memories. And since we aren’t friends or even associates anymore, the privileges you keep trying to claim with regards to influencing the way I live my life are privileges you aren’t entitled to. Do you understand?”

She sniffed, starting to cry. “I can make it up to you…”

“No, you can’t,” he interrupted. “Because I’m simply not interested in renewing our old relationship, and if you were actually living in the real world you’d realize why.”

The tears vanished. “You…!”

The spell took everyone by surprise – everyone except Xander, who just stood there and let it hit him. Except that it didn’t. It burst in front of him like a shower of little green fireworks, but nothing else happened. Every wizard present drew his wand instinctively, however, and Willow seemed more than a little surprised. It was Giles’ reaction that broke the tableau. The older man stalked past the wizards, stopping a foot away from his errant witch, and raised his hand. He spat something out in Latin, and a black circle formed in the grass around Willow’s feet. “I had my suspicions” he said. “And you’ve just confirmed the worst of them. Renounce them. Now.”

Willow looked stubborn and shook her head. Giles spat something else out in Latin, and she gave a little shriek. “What…”

“Renounce them now,” Giles ordered again. “Or whatever pact you’ve made will be broken by force. Your reaction tells me that won’t be a pleasant experience.”

Her lips twisted. “You need me!”

“We do not need anyone that badly.” Giles had not broken eye contact with her. “Not you, not any of the Slayers, not even myself. Now renounce them or I break the pact by force, your choice.” He smiled, and her eyes widened with sudden worry. “Your employment contract, which you signed with your own hand, gives me the right and the power to undo any ‘deals’ you may make which have the potential or the intent to cause harm to the organization or to any member, past or present – and it is legally as well as magically binding, even across realms.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Severus, who nodded and mouthed _Gringotts_ at him. Harry nodded back, approvingly; their world had gotten a lot of good out of Severus’ association with Rupert Giles, it was only right that the ISC director had gotten some as well. Xander smirked at the byplay. “Let’s give Giles a house elf for Solstice,” he murmured to Harry. “Convenience aside, I’m starting to think he may need more protection than he can provide for himself. Because if she’s influenced one person, magically or otherwise…”

“Quite,” Severus agreed quietly, nodding. “One of the drawbacks of Earth-magic is casting speed – the need for prior preparation may be both necessary and understandable, but it is a hindrance when you need defensive magic unexpectedly. With prior preparation, however, the effects can be…formidable.”

“Prior preparation?” Lucius asked.

“Earth magic is a gift, not an ability,” Xander explained. “You have to ask for it, work for it, follow rules to use and keep it. You’re dealing with deities and elemental forces when you work with Earth magic, and if you work contrary to their alignment or interest…well, there are consequences.” He waved a hand in Willow’s direction. “Demonic deals are the same way, but those tend to work more like a legal contract than a moral one, it’s all about the letter of the law, or rather the deal, and as long as you keep to it whatever you bargained for is yours.”

That made Lucius frown. “So you’re saying that dealing with demons…”

“…is like dealing with lawyers, yes. No matter how carefully you go over the contract, there’s always going to be something in there they can use to get you later.” He shrugged. “We call it evil, because in our moral system it would be, but for most demons it’s just their nature, just the way they think and do things.”

“Cultural relativity,” Harry murmured. He was frowning at Giles and Willow. “She’s about to try something.”

Xander sighed. “Then she’s about to get hurt. She can be stupid that way. Sort of like someone else you all used to know, she thinks consequences are things that happen to other people.”

Sure enough, a few seconds ticked by and then the trapped witch’s hair bled black and so did her eyes…and the black circle under her feet exploded upwards in a blinding blast of yellow and white light and she screamed. Something else screamed too, although it sounded more angry than anything else, and then everything was silent. A moment later the pillar of light dropped back into the ground, leaving a small burned circle in the snow in the center of which was laying a small, naked infant girl with a symbol branded on her chest. Giles sighed and picked the baby up, thanking Severus when he conjured a soft blanket out of his handkerchief to wrap around her. “I warned her,” he said tiredly, shaking his head. “Oh well, she’ll grow up normal this time – and she’ll never be able to use magic again, no matter what kind it is. We’ll find a good home for her, the organization actually has resources for that now.” He raised an eyebrow at Severus. “I’m not sure how you lot have gotten around that, actually – huge castle full of hormone-addled teenagers and all.”

Severus chuckled. “I teach them to brew a basic contraceptive their first year, before any of them are old enough to get into that sort of trouble. And if they can’t manage that, pre-brewed ones are available in town; some of the older students with Hogsmeade privileges make tidy little sums importing ‘necessities’ for the younger set.”

Giles snorted. “We’ve got a few of those sort of entrepreneurs ourselves, I turn a blind eye so long as they’re not selling illicit substances.” The baby chose that moment to wake up, kicking her little feet and starting to cry fretfully, and he smiled down at her with only a touch of annoyance. “Demanding as ever, I see.”

“What are you going to call her?” Xander asked him, and shrugged when he looked up in surprise. “You can’t call a new person by an old name, Giles. And of course you’re going to tell everyone back at the ranch that she’s Willow’s baby; if you told them who she really was, Buffy would never stop trying get her to grow back up into the person she knew.”

“True.” Giles frowned thoughtfully at the baby, and it stopped crying and cooed at him. “Anne,” he said. “We’ll call her Anne Elizabeth, that sounds right.”

Two aurors popped in, escorted by a Hogwarts house elf, and Severus nodded to them. “I’m afraid the situation came to a head before you got here, gentlemen. The witch is…no longer a problem.”

The older of the two aurors nodded back. “If I might…” Giles obligingly held the baby so he could see it. He cast a small spell, frowned, then pulled back one corner of the transfigured blanket and sighed when he saw the brand. “Demonic deal, it figures. And you’re…”

“Director Rupert Giles, of the International Slayers Council,” Severus introduced. “The witch was formerly one of his employees.”

“We’d had some problems with her in the past,” Giles added. “She was still on magical probation for the last…incident, but her therapist had said it was safe to unblock her powers.”

The auror was nodding. “Ours screw up like that too sometimes. If you don’t mind, Director, we’ll just escort you back home so we can make a full report on the situation. There won’t be any charges, though – not like she’s ever going to be able to do it again.”

“No, that she won’t,” Giles agreed. “And we’re going to be telling everyone that the baby is Willow’s child, to avoid…personal complications, so I’d appreciate it if you followed my lead, so to speak, if the subject comes up while you’re there.”

“Of course,” the auror agreed. “Friends who don’t let go easily?”

“You have no idea.” Rupert frowned. “I hate to impose on Professor Snape again, as I know how busy he is, so if you gentlemen know the way to our headquarters…?”

“I know where it is, yes. We’ve got that one recorded, just in case any more world-ending occurrences come up.” The auror grabbed his staring, openmouthed junior’s sleeve and dragged him over, then took hold of Rupert’s arm. “We’ll just be out of your way, then, Professor, my lords. And Professor, do please let us know what damage was done to the school’s wards; we don’t have many opportunities to expand our knowledge-base when it comes to earth-magic, especially not demon-enhanced earth-magic.”

“Certainly, I’ll record the details for you,” Severus told him. “Although Director Giles would probably be happy to help you expand your knowledge as well; he deals with that issue on a daily basis.”

“Even better, thanks.”

The waiting house elf flashed the aurors and Giles and the baby away at a nod from Severus, who rolled his eyes once they were gone. “I had hoped Mr. Weasley would outgrow that dumbfounded expression, but it appears I hoped in vain.”

Harry shrugged. “Ron never did take shocks well, I’m afraid. I’ll be at the Ministry next week, I’ll stop and say hello to his father while I’m there.” Lucius looked curious, and the younger lord shook his head. “I’m going to be moving back to the family’s ancestral home soon, it’s less of an annoyance to just carry in the paperwork myself. I’m sure you know how it goes.”

“Yes, quite,” Lucius agreed. “Bureaucracy is like a weed – you turn your back on it and it just takes over everything. Is there anything else we need to attend to here?”

“I’ll gather up the…remains, such as they are,” Severus said. “I’m sure someone will want them. Lord Potter?”

“I don’t want them,” Harry told him. “Perhaps you could add them to the old Room of Requirement for the time being. Was Lord Riddle’s image present there as well?”

“Yes, yes it was.” Severus waved his wand at the heap of clothing which was all that was left of Voldemort, and the ground beneath it rolled up into a neat little round package which he then summoned into his hands. “I’ll put it at his image’s feet, perhaps in a small glass case for display purposes. Is there anything else you require from me?”

Harry smiled and shook his head. “No, I believe we’ve done all we can for today. Enjoy your tea, and do tell your wife I said hello.”

“Certainly, Lord Potter.” Severus offered a short bow, his young lord nodded, and then he and the Knight went back to their waiting horses, mounted, and rode back towawrd the group waiting at the edge of the Forest. Lucius looked like he wanted to say something, and his friend shook his head at him. “Swearing fealty to Lord Potter discharged the blood debt I owed to him…for my part in the death of his familiar. I was relieved to be given the opportunity, believe me.”

Lucius shuddered. “I would have been as well. What does your wife think of it?”

Severus smiled. “Since it was the Knight playing matchmaker that got us together? She thinks it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

 

Once they were out of earshot of the two wizards, Xander grinned at Harry. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he finds out why you’re moving.”

“I’d have happily shown it to you right here, if that wouldn’t have meant publicly slighting him by refusing to invite him to the wedding.” Harry snorted. “We’ve just got the last feud settled, I’m not about to kick off another one right on its heels – Lord Krum and Viktor would think it was hilarious, but Gabriela would kill me. Especially since we’re practically moving in next door to him.”

“True. Well, you know what they say: Good fences make good neighbors.”

Harry laughed. “I don’t even think magic can build a fence that high, honestly.”


End file.
